Gone are those days when run a ball or just 7-8 runs an over in the powerplay were considered signs of an attacking start. The word attacking has been replaced with aggressive. Anything less than 10 runs an over seems a wasted opportunity on a good batting pitch in T20 or ODI cricket. In T20s particularly, openers have taken the responsibility to stretch the scoring rate to over 12. And in the Indian Premier League, some batters have redefined the term powerplay with some real power-hitting. While many would admit that there is no better power-hitting opening duo than Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma, there is a new pair on the block. A 15-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi has even surpassed some of the best. And his opening partnerships with Yashasvi Jaiswal are quickly becoming the ones to watch out for.
The Jaiswal-Suryavanshi pair has only opened in 9 games in total. But they have struck at a venomous rate of 11.97 runs an over, averaging 63.00. The duo will start again for Rajasthan Royals on April 7 when they host Mumbai Indians at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati.
Jaiswal-Suryavanshi quickest Indian pair to 500 runs
As Rajasthan take the field, they will once again bank on their openers, who have been in sensational form. The Jaiswal-Suryavanshi duo stitched a 75-run opening stand against Chennai Super Kings, with 74 of them coming in the powerplay at a run rate of 12.33. In their second match against Gujarat Titans, the pair added 69 runs in the powerplay at 11.5 runs per over. And with that, they also completed 500 runs as a pair. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Suryavanshi became the quickest Indian pair to score 500 runs in the IPL and third overall.
In terms of giving that opening push, the Yashasvi Jaiswal-Vaibhav Suryavanshi pair is not very far. They are only behind Phil Salt-Sunil Narine and Travis Head-Abhishek Sharma pairs, who are quicker than the Rajasthan Royals duo. Narine-Salt is the most lethal combo in the powerplay, scoring at 12.46 runs per over in 12 innings. Head-Sharma are most consistent with a 12.29 run rate in 28 innings. The duo has already scored over 1200 runs as a pair. Jaiswal-Suryavanshi pair strike at 11.97.
Highest run-rate as an opening pair in IPL
| Partners | Team | Inns | Runs | High | Avg | RR | 100 | 50 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunil Narine, Phil Salt | KKR | 12 | 559 | 138 | 46.58 | 12.46 | 1 | 5 |
| Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head | SRH | 28 | 1211 | 171 | 44.85 | 12.29 | 4 | 5 |
| Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi | RR | 9 | 567 | 166 | 63 | 11.97 | 1 | 5 |
| Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine | KKR | 25 | 707 | 105 | 28.28 | 10.6 | 1 | 4 |
| Virat Kohli, Phil Salt | RCB | 15 | 611 | 95 | 40.73 | 10.24 | 0 | 6 |
The Suryavanshi impact
In the last few years, Rajasthan Royals have not had a settled opening pair. They went from Yashasvi Jaiswal-Jos Buttler to Yashasvi Jaiswal-Sanju Samson, and now, they have settled with Vaibhav Suryavanshi. And the teenager has provided them the boost they were looking for with Sanju Samson leaving the team for Chennai Super Kings.
Suryavanshi has not let Rajasthan feel the absence of Sanju Samson. In the 9 innings he has played, the 15-year-old has struck at 213.37. With Jaiswal providing the stability from one end, Suryavanshi has gone for the attack against any pace attack. The duo has accumulated 567 runs for the first wicket, registering opening partnerships of 85, 52, 166, 1, 5, 76, 37, 75 and 70 runs.
The opening pair has only played 9 innings together. But IPL 2026 could be the defining moment. As Vaibhav Suryavanshi continues to go for the big hits every delivery, the pair can become the most destructive by the end of IPL 2026. And they would need one such start against Jasprit Bumrah & Co of Mumbai Indians.
Suryavanshi hasn’t faced Bumrah in the IPL. Hence, that will be the contest everyone will be eagerly waiting for. The teenager has already dismantled great Test bowlers like Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, and Matt Henry. But can he take on Bumrah?
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Is Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Suryavanshi the most destructive pair in IPL?
